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Canon City Music and Blossom Festival remains biggest party

Michael Fry, Blossom Festival Board

Posted:
03/09/2013 08:49:07 AM MST

Mike Fry is the President of the Canon City Music and Blossom Festival Committee (Courtesy Photo)

T here was a time -- not so long ago -- that the Blossom Festival was the one central event in Cañon City. We can remember the flood of kids and buses, the field shows and band concerts, the parades and carnival, and general excitement that the weekend brought to the city. Visiting band members staying with local families, the street dance on Friday night, a second parade on Sunday; it seemed like the fun and activity was non-stop, with something for everyone.

Times have changed, though. Instead of being the only event, the Blossom Festival is now just the earliest of an entire spring and summer of fun weekends in our community. The Festival has changed over the years, some parts expanding and others going away. I miss the field show competitions, but I love the fact that more high school bands now visit Cañon City to take part in the concert and jazz competitions than ever before. I miss the second parade, but I enjoy the park concerts and kids events, the Art Show and rodeo.

Despite the chances, one thing is for sure: Cañon City's Music and Blossom Festival is still the biggest party in town, year after year. We actually count the attendees; last year, nearly 17,000 people were on hand to enjoy Saturday's parade and the craft fairs and other events during the festival were heavily attended, too. That's been the way of it for 75 years: Blossom is a time for all of us to shake off the gray of winter and welcome spring and the renewal of spirit it brings.

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This year marks the 75th anniversary of the festival, making it one of the premier community gatherings in the state. There are so many things planned for this year's event that it can't be confined to just one weekend. Instead, the festival will kick off with a downtown concert on the weekend of April 27, and there will be something fun in the way of a Blossom Festival event happening each day for the next 10 days. Not everything will appeal to everyone - but I can guarantee that there will be something for everyone in the community to enjoy during

This year, the Blossom Festival committee is excited to be partnering with the Cañon City Daily Record in telling the Blossom story - where we've been, where we are, and - most importantly - how you can join us in celebrating our community, our festival, and the fun we can all share this spring. We'll be providing details of the 2013 Blossom Festival in this space every week between now and the end of April and the Daily Record staff will be highlighting many different aspects of festival's history and activities as the first of May approaches.

The Blossom Festival is a time for all of us to put our best foot forward, for each other and for the many visitors that come to our community. Plan to watch these pages for details on this year's events, and please plan to join us for the biggest and best Blossom Festival ever as we celebrate its Diamond Jubilee!

Mike Fry is the president of the board of directors for the Cañon City Music and Blossom Festival committee.

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